Is There More than One God in the Bible?

All those gods they never told you about...

Just for starters, I’ll share Psalms 82:1: “God standeth in the congregation of the
mighty; he judgeth among the gods…” and Psalms 86:8: “Among the gods [there is]
none like unto thee, O Lord; neither [are there any works] like unto thy works.”*

Read these with care. And read them, if you must, in as many
translations of the Bible as you wish. You will be hard pressed to interpret
away the fact that these two passages of Scripture clearly refer to other gods.
Jehovah is not alone. He may rule, or think he rules, but he has his rivals in
heavenly places.

It’s easy to listen to the Jewish Shema, which says, in
essence, “Hear, O Israel. The Lord our God is One” and get the idea that it
means there is only one god in the universe. But is that what it really means?
Maybe, maybe not. I will not argue that point here.

Suffice it to say that if one takes the Bible literally, one
must accept that their god is not the only one mentioned. Even in the Creation
Story, the words read something like “Let US make man in OUR own image.” Some
have dismissed this as the Royal We, as in the British monarchy where the Queen
refers to herself as “We.” But that would be stretching it a bit far.

These two passages in Psalms are just the tip of the
iceberg. If you Google the words “More than one god in the Bible,” you will
find long lists of scriptural references that make it clear: God is not
singular.

What does that mean in the final analysis? It means simply
that whoever authored the various books of the Hebrew Bible were well versed in
the mythology of the times and the places in which they wrote. They knew that
there were gods aplenty. And they accepted them as part of a particular
pantheon that could rival the best that Rome or Greece would come to offer.

One final word… If you find this article offensive, don’t
blame me. Read your Bible—and read it carefully. All those gods you don’t
believe in? They will show themselves. And then, you can deal with them as you
will.

Comments

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Author

Richard Kent Matthews 3 years agofrom Portland, OR Metro Area

To whom are you writing, ke? The article shows that plenty of research has been done. If you're speaking to other commenters, fine. But I know the bible is a compilation, over many centuries, by various authors, in various times and settings. And there are many interpretations, to this day. That's what makes it so interesting, and at the same time, total mythology.

Thanks for the comments.

ke 3 years ago

The truth is the bible is a collection of stories from the Sumerian clay tablets, the Epic of Gilgamesh etc....the "Elohim" is not the Father, Son and Holy Spirit....the "US" in Genesis is the Elohim. ..they created man, however they acknowledged the Most High God..."The Invisible God". Do your research!!!

Author

Richard Kent Matthews 4 years agofrom Portland, OR Metro Area

Magnum amaechi: We do not ALL know that there is only one god. We may BELIEVE there is one god, but that does not make it so. If you recall, I mentioned within the article that the Bible itself supports the possibility of MANY gods, over which Yahweh is the Supreme Leader. But he is not singular. Each god is a myth unto itself.

Thanks for your comment.

Magnum amaechi 4 years ago

We all know there is only one god.but at the same time how can we know for sure? Because when god said we who was it talking to. But my own point is that if there were more than one god. We would hear of them they won't be hidden myths. God revealed himself to us they didn't if they were other gods trust me you will know about it my friends besides there's no reason for god to lie about it.

Author

Richard Kent Matthews 7 years agofrom Portland, OR Metro Area

Trinidad49: And that's where we run into various and differing interpretations. Seeking to take the entire Bible literally becomes a challenge when you run into passages, concepts, and doctrines like these. The Bible is replete with them, numbering well into the thousands. Each will say, "Well, what it really means is..." and the race is on: My interpretation is better than your interpretation. I'm right, you're wrong, so there.

But, the bottom line? It is indeed all mythology and the one who sees it that way has probably secured the best interpretation.

Trinidad49 7 years ago

Hi.mmmh! So much for the inerrant bible more so the KJV version.i read psalms 86:8 and i think it really is saying that among the many gods the writer was versed with,he thought his god was the greatest.on the other hand it could be that he was using mock language on other cultures or people's beliefs about the gods they believed in.Again,this thought crosses my mind,this writer was supposed to know the torah 'oh israel the lord your god is one' but anyways he chooses to write,'he judgeth among the gods' and the others.

Is it a case literary carelessness or one beating his chest and telling other people,the gods you believe in are nothing.

Author

Richard Kent Matthews 7 years agofrom Portland, OR Metro Area

Actually, there are no gods, just a lot of mythology that keeps moving from generation to generation. But, I might be wrong. Always open to that possibility. Doubt it, though.